1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to displaying content, and more particularly to limiting the display of content to authorized users.
2. Background of the Related Art
Information may be electronically stored in a variety of displayable formats, including images, video, and electronic documents, as generally referred to herein as “content.” Content may be displayed and viewed by a user having access to the media on which the content is stored. A range of display types are available for displaying such content, examples of which include desktop and portable laptop computer screens, television displays of various sorts, and projector systems. Much content is private, i.e. intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class. Efforts are therefore made to protect private content, to limit viewing of the content to the intended users of the content.
Many situations arise in which a user desires to display and view private content in a public location that is either accessible to the general public or accessible to one or more persons other than the intended viewers of the private content. Common examples wherein private content is desired to be displayed in a public location includes the use of laptop computers in airports or coffee shops. Other locations may be semi-private, such as an individual's office where only the intended users of private content are typically present, but where other person(s) still have access. For example, private content may be displayed in a boardroom normally attended by executives, but accessible by employees other than the executives.
One conventional solution for safeguarding private content is for the intended user(s) to simply use discretion as to when, where and how the content is displayed. For example, a laptop user in a public place may elect not to open certain private documents. The user may alternatively open private content but minimize the size of a display window in which the private content is displayed, or angle the laptop display screen in such a way that the screen is not easily viewable by others. Such manual solutions may be cumbersome or make working with the protected information tedious. Automated solutions also exist, including scrambling or otherwise obscuring a portion of the display to prevent unintended viewers from viewing the content. Such automated solutions often require special hardware, such as glasses worn by a user to de-scramble displayed content.